The Disregarded Canary: On the Plight of Black Women Voters

4 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2020

See all articles by Carliss Chatman

Carliss Chatman

Southern Methodist University - Dedman School of Law

Marissa Jackson Sow

University of Richmond; United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Date Written: September 30, 2020

Abstract

“…. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see.” -Zora Neal Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

In American politics the Black woman voter is both mule and canary. Black women vote at higher rates than other demographics, and overwhelmingly and consistently vote Democratic—not because there is anything to gain but because doing so is necessary for the survival of the republic. Yet, two years after commentators declared 2018 to be the year Black women saved the Democratic party, they enjoy very little negotiating power at the polls. Black women voters carry the burden of saving the world, signal the end of democracy and the slow creep towards fascism, and remain an afterthought to the powers that be.

Suggested Citation

Chatman, Carliss and Jackson Sow, Marissa, The Disregarded Canary: On the Plight of Black Women Voters (September 30, 2020). Northwestern University Law Review of Note, 2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3702553

Carliss Chatman (Contact Author)

Southern Methodist University - Dedman School of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 750116
Dallas, TX 75275
United States

HOME PAGE: http://smu.edu/Law/Faculty/Profiles/Chatman-Carliss

Marissa Jackson Sow

University of Richmond ( email )

28 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173
United States

United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ( email )

Palais des Nations
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva
Switzerland

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